A Contest Winner: Spiced Banana Date Smoothie

Here’s a naturally sweet smoothie so delicious it can sub as a dessert. It would fool you for a milkshake if you didn’t know better. Flavored with “warm” spices like cinnamon and cloves, it gets a little kick from ginger, chile powder and cayenne (the hot spices are optional). It’s not a burn-your-tongue-kick but one you can feel creeping up the back of your throat. The dates lend an earthy, syrupy sweetness and banana is a classic ingredient for smoothies, and a natural to include with these spices. I’m entering this in Maman & Gourmand’s Smoothie/Shake contest to win a $200 Health Master Emulsifier from Healthmaster.com . Update: The contest is over – I won – thanks for all your votes!